LP to adopt Mark – Lambino

DAGUPAN CITY – Less than a week before the filing of candidacies for the 2016 elections, the Liberal Party still has to announce its bet for the gubernatorial and vice gubernatorial races in the vote-rich province of Pangasinan.

FINAL CHECK. Gubernatorial aspirant Mark Cojuangco checks the final preparations for the birthday party for his political supporters.

Former Vice Governor Oscar Lambino, LP Pangasinan provincial vice chair, said there were no official announcements yet, but since LP has a coalition with the Nationalist People’s Coalition at the national level, the LP is likely to adopt former fifth district Rep. Mark Cojuangco, a gubernatorial candidate.
“In deference to (former) Ambassador Eduardo Cojuangco, the LP would adopt Mark,” Lambino said through a phone interview.
Pangasinan has one of the biggest voting population in the county and is “courted” by national candidates every election.
The LP also has only three congressional candidates who are all incumbents – Leopoldo Bataoil of the second district (a new member), Rosemary Arenas of the second district and Gina de Venecia of the fourth district.
It has no candidates as yet in the first, fifth and sixth districts where incumbent congressmen are NPC members.
LP members claim to be at a loss as they still have no certificates of nomination and acceptance from the LP.
Bugallon Vice Mayor Rodrigo Orduna said he and other party members have not been invited to any meetings or conventions of the party.

“We don’t know where to go. Its just days before the filing of candidacy and we still dont have nominations,” Orduna, who is running for mayor, said.
Orduna has opposed the application of Governor Amado Espino Jr. as LP member, saying party members in the province should be consulted on the issue.
Orduna, who run under LP in the 2013, said he risked his life when he filed a plunder case against Espino .
“I believed in what LP was espousing about daang matuwid, but if LP accepts Espino as party member when there are cases on plunder and jueteng against him, where would that put the party? And what would that make of us who risked our lives?” he said
Espino Jr., who is fielding his son and namesake Amado III to run for the seat he is vacating, has resigned from the NPC. His family members who are occupying different positions also have resigned.
Espino reportedly applied for LP membership but Lambino could not confirm if he was accepted.
He and other allies recently organized the Partido ng Pangasinan, supposedly a political party, which would support LP presidential bet Mar Roxas.
But Provincial Election Officer Marino Salas said he had no information if Partido ng Pangasinan has been accredited as a political party by the Commission on Elections.
He said the accreditation process is done at the Comelec central office.